setting fire to our insides for fun

Emily Fairfield | 20 | Resident of the North "Well I have brittle bones it seems I bite my tongue and torch my dreams Have a little voice to speak with And a mind of thoughts and secrecy"

[emily-fairfield]

Lexie & Dorian | Cravings

Lexie didn’t think the day would ever come to an end. She had gotten Tyler settled throughout the past hour and had been standing outside on the curb ever since. She was proud of herself for accomplishing such a duty. She managed to nurse a man back to health, rescuing him from impending death, but she couldn’t help but think about how things always seemed to fall into her lap. It was only the bad shit, too, even if Tyler turned out to be a decent guy. All she was hoping for was a week of rest out there beyond the trees. Being around town was exhausting for her and she was tired of waiting around hoping that Piper would come to her senses and speak to her. She was tired of cuddling up to Dorian every night and having to cope with that terrible feeling that something was out of place. Most of all, she was tired of not being able to breathe. She could never fucking breathe. The weight of Purgatory had never been so heavy upon her shoulders before. Not once had she ever wished to be alive again with her far-from-perfect life. Lexie shamed herself immediately for even letting that thought in.

Things were settling down for the night in town. The streets were always crowded with people during the day. There was a farmer’s market, music playing, residents holding their cheerful conversations – it was far from what she knew of Ben and Eric’s town and she felt thankful for escaping while she could. She was happy here. At least that’s what she was supposed to feel. Lexie began heading in the direction of her home, craving a joint and the sweet comfort of her bed. She didn’t want to hang around, hoping Piper would pass by. She also wasn’t in the mood to spend her time with Dorian tonight and Lexie knew she’d regret not informing him, but there wasn’t an ounce of energy left in her pushing her to stop by his place. God, how she missed cellphones.

“Lex! Hey! Wait up!”

She had spoken too soon. There he was, probably already into his third drink with two more beers in hand and a lit joint between his lips. As usual, Dorian’s hair was a disheveled mop atop his head and the buttons on his shirt were almost entirely undone. If there was anyone who knew how to unwind, it was Dorian.

He kept running down the street, his legs stumbling a bit as he caught up with Lexie, who was watching with amusement at the scene. “It’s a miracle you didn’t eat shit on your way over here,” she said, crossing her arms.

“This isn’t my first rodeo.” He waved the beers in his hand, holding them out for Lexie to take one. “I wasn’t expecting you to be back so early. I thought you were off being all spiritual and touching yourself out in the woods or something.”

“You mean getting in touch with myself?” Lexie chuckled, snatching a beer out of his hand.

“Ah, I could’ve sworn you said the first one, but I guess I’ll take your word for it,” he said, popping open the beer bottle. Slowly removing the joint from his mouth, he handed it out toward Lexie who quickly obliged. “Why ya’ back so soon?”

Lexie took a drag, shutting her eyes in that brief moment of solace. A shower and bed was all she wanted, but Dorian brought goodies that she couldn’t resist. “You tryin’ to get rid of me or something?”

“Would I have stolen these beers from the pub if I were?” He cackled, grabbing the joint back. Lexie shook her head, tossing the bottle cap at him.

“Dorian, you gotta stop stealing from there!  They’re gonna find out and then they’re going to yell at me because of your drunk ass. I actually have friends in there, stop trying to make them hate me.” The alcohol felt soothing as it sloshed around in her mouth before gliding down her throat. The taste was more bitter than she would’ve liked, but she wasn’t complaining. Lexie’s relationship with alcohol was an interesting one. She would go days without a proper drink and not be bothered. Instead, she’d actually be proud of herself for taking care of her body and not poisoning it with any of the concoctions at the bar. The hiatus never lasted long, though. She was always back at it soon enough. She liked to think of them as cleanses, prepping her tolerance for the next round. Piper would call it a dependency, a craving. Lexie stopped listening to her a long time ago, but only because Piper stopped speaking.

“Alright, alright. I’ll never do it again, pinky promise,” Dorian said, holding out his pinky to Lexie for a moment before taking another drag. She knew he was lying, but it was a losing battle from the beginning.

Lexie searched the nighttime streets. There were people stumbling home from the pub, a few residents out for a late walk, a couple of people heading in for the night shift at the clinic. Everyone was going about their lives and they all had somewhere to be. Yet there was Lexie and her wayward friend, beers in hand while smoking their lives away just to find a thrill in something. She had no purpose here, nowhere to be. The newbies wandering in from whatever massacre had taken pace in the other town would find their own purpose, as well. This place was like a fairytale to them – they were bound to fall in love with this life, something Lexie couldn’t bring herself to do.

“I planned to be out for much longer, but I came across one of the new people out in the forest. He was injured – pretty bad stab wound – so I took the time to help him. This place won’t let me stay away for too long, I guess.” The condensation from the bottle brought a numbness to Lexie’s hand and she quickly wiped it on her sweater, frowning at the loss of feeling beneath her skin. Dorian came up to her then, tossing an arm around her shoulder playfully.

“Listen, Lex. You saved a guys life, people love you, you’ve got these beers – what more could ya ask for? It sounds like Purgatory is giving you everything and you just don’t want to take it…” She could hear the hesitancy in her voice. Dorian didn’t like to step on her toes and Lexie could tell when he was being careful with his words. But nothing would let herself snap at him. Not when she felt like he was the only one left.

“Piper isn’t here–”

“For fuck sakes, Lexie. Come on, now. If Piper wanted to be around us, she would be. We were stupid, but that was a long time ago and we already apologized for it. If she doesn’t want to accept that, then fine. But I refuse to walk around feeling bad for myself when I’ve already learned from that mistake, and I suggest you do the same.” He tossed the joint down onto the ground, smashing it forcefully under the weight of his shoe. The anger in his face was evident, even in the darkness, and he was avoiding eye contact with her. Lexie had heard it all before, but it wasn’t as simple as the picture Dorian liked to paint for her. Piper was her everything, her best friend. She reminded Lexie of home and they grew to be the closest friends that could ever exist. Their cabin in the forest, their antics around town, their late night chats that always ended in laughter, tears, and tequila shot at 4am – these were the things that made her feel at home here. They were like sisters – they’d borrow each others clothes, perform karaoke at the pub on Tuesday nights, and tease Dorian until he gave into their silly requests. They were once a trio, a family. Now Lexie looks around and finds Dorian on one side, and a missing spot on the other. She would be quicker to latch onto him, he’s all she really has left, but Lexie knows how well he does on his own and she’s trying to do the same. It pains her to succumb to isolation just to teach herself how to handle things on her own. She hates it. She’d rather be fully dead than pretend she’s okay.

There was a silence between them. Laughter emanated down the street by a few passerby’s, and Dorian looked at her as if awaiting a response she didn’t know how to give. Sighing, he placed both hands on Lexie’s shoulders. She could feel tears burning, but God be damned if she was going to let them through.

“Stop giving your heart out to people that give you nothing in return.”

“Stop pretending like you don’t miss her, too.” She could see the hurt in Dorian’s eyes. It had always been there, he was just better at hiding it than she was. They both ditched the poor girl in the middle of Eric’s home, allowing her to be tied up and tortured for two years while they did nothing but flee to freedom. Lexie and Dorian spent so much time loathing themselves for their actions. They even spent months creating new plans to sneak in and free Piper, but nothing came to fruition. Soon enough it became to easier to give into the luxuries of Peter’s town, and god knows they deserved it, so they gave up. They had no way of knowing about Piper’s condition, anyway. It was easier for Lexie to think the girl managed to get free soon after. That’s what stopped the nightmares at night.

Dorian tossed his beer bottle to the curb, the sound of shattering class echoing through the now empty street. It was then that Lexie heard footsteps behind her.

“Peter”

“Lexie. Dorian. I would think you two respect this town too much to litter,” he said, pointing to the broken beer bottle beside him. She wasn’t expecting him to be out so late into the night and it made Lexie curious.

“He’s going to pick it up right away, I promise.” Dorian nodded in agreement, flashing a goofy smile. Everyone acted like such children in front of Peter. He was like the celebrity of the town that everyone would bow down to. He was a stark contrast to what she remembered of Eric and Ben. Everyone held so much respect for the man and with all the lives he has saved, he deserves to be treated like royalty.

“Get him home in one piece, will you?” Peter said, smiling at Lexie. “I also heard about your wonderful achievement earlier in saving that poor man. We always need people like you around here. It takes great courage to devote so much to someone in need. I’d like to thank you, Lexie.”

“It was nothing, really. I was already venturing out–”

“Trying to leave us, are you?” Peter laughed, raising a brow at her words.

“That’s what I said, but of course it’s a much better question when you say it, sir.” Dorian was carefully scooping the glass up into his hands, maintaining the best sober state possible for Peter.

Peter’s question alarmed Lexie for a moment. She never wanted to seem ungrateful to the man after all he had done for her and everyone else in town. Peter had a personal story with Piper, as well, and Lexie was well aware that he mostly knew them all as the trio they once were. But Peter never pried, nor asked too many questions. She wondered if Piper had told him anything.

“Not at all, Peter. There are just times where… a bit of silence and solitude is needed. The forest is a great place for that.”

“Indeed, it is. Just be careful out there. I’d like you both to be on the look out for any newcomers. I have a feeling more will be wandering in throughout the next few days.” Lexie nodded. She could see the worry on his face. She wondered the great difficulty it was to watch over a town such as this one.

Peter gave the two of them a nod. “I’ll be on my way, then. Was just taking a stroll through the neighborhood. Have a nice night, you two. Oh, and Dorian?”

Dorian shot up, dropping the glass particles on the floor. “Yes, sir?”

“Stop stealing beers from the bar”

Lexie couldn’t stifle her laughter at the sight of Dorian’s beet-red face as Peter walked into the night. His embarrassment was evident and he shot Lexie a look before taking the beer out of her hand.

“Shut up, we both know I’m his favorite.”

“I must’ve forgotten to sign up for the popularity contest. Have you been crowned his adopted son yet?” Lexie burst into another fit of laughter as he waved his hand at her.

“I’m heading in for the night. You coming?” There were many nights Lexie and Dorian spent together. She didn’t entirely know what it was, really – a romance or a friends-with-benefits deal. Their feelings about each other were always conflicted and neither has admitted to anything except their joy in each others company, something that was already known. Most of the time they didn’t even do anything but fall asleep in the same bed, but breathing in that cherry and pine smell soothed her, the rise and fall of his chest reminding her that she wasn’t alone. Even on the nights when alcohol stained his breath, beads of sweat dripping down his temples, she wanted to be near him.

Lexie glanced behind her as if someone else were calling out to her. “I… I think I’m good for tonight. I need to be on my own after the crazy few days I’ve had.” With a nod and wave goodbye, Dorian disappeared down the street.

And all Lexie wanted to do was call him back.

[emily-fairfield]

Tyler | Lost and Found

Part II of the last one

What was that rattling? Tyler’s head was pounding, his eyes screaming for more sleep as he opened them. He was staring at a wooden ceiling, a warm glow illuminating the walls from the far corner of the room. Tyler turned his head to see a small firing burning. Last he had remembered, he was out in the cold praying for it all to come to an end. Was that all a dream? Was the rebellion still going on and he was still in the middle of it all? He tried getting up, but his body ached, forcing him to revert back to his original position on the floor. He was laying atop a blanket and a few pillows, an earthy scent burning on the table above. His fingers trailed down to where he anticipated the bloody stab wound to be, except it was bandaged up and no longer pulsating. He was relieved to not see the blood, it meant he wasn’t dying. The rattling noise sounded again, this time much louder than before. Tyler jumped at the sound of the door opening, a sharp breeze of cold air sneaking its way in before the woman who entered shut out contact with the outside world.

The woman didn’t look much older than Tyler himself. Her brown locks fell in soft waves down to her shoulders, and there was a long scar across her neck. He hadn’t realized he was even staring at it until she adjusted her hair to cover the blemish. In her hand was a metal can with a lid, the rattling noise sounding again as she shuffled it around to place it on the table.

“The loud noise startles the birds. My… friend used to feed them whenever we’d come here and now they stick around expecting more food. They’re just annoying if you ask me.” Tyler could say nothing. He was listening to the girl’s words with confusion of his whereabouts still filling his head. She seemed so calm and collected, causing Tyler to wonder if she had been involved with the rebellion at all or if she had been living amongst the trees this entire time. Wincing, he managed to push himself up into a sitting position, his body relying entirely on the wall of the small cabin to hold him up.

The girl rambled on for a bit longer about the birds before focusing her attention onto him. “It’s a good thing you’re up. You’ve been asleep for almost two days,” she said, holding a thermos out toward him. “Drink this. It’ll make you feel better.” Tyler accepted the drink hesitantly, surprised to hear the length of time he’d been asleep. Everything seemed so hazy to him and he hated that feeling as it reminded him too much of the days he spent worrying about his lost memory. Slowly, Tyler lifted the thermos up to his lips. A hot, thick liquid coated his mouth and he immediately wanted to spit it back out, but forced himself to power through it. His face was evidently full of disgust, and part of him wondered if he was being insulting toward the girl for not appreciating her concoction.

“I didn’t say it was going to be good. I just said it would make you feel better. It’s a mixture of a bunch of herbs, and a few other things… Just drink it.” She plopped down on the floor beside him and Tyler was able to get a better look at her. The dark circles under her eyes, the birthmark on her hand, the few piercings in her ears. She was far from the trope of being a hippie with the long hair and spiritual herbs. Then again, Tyler was trying to fill a stereotype when he shouldn’t be. Forcing down another swig of the liquid, he looked back down at his wound.

“Where am I?” he said. His voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable to him as he spoke aloud. It had been a few days since he had spoken to someone and he didn’t realize how much of a relief it would be to finally have some contact.

“Purgatory. You… knew that, right?” she said, almost cheerfully. Tyler managed to chuckle for a bit, only briefly, and the noise didn’t sound right. He couldn’t force himself to find happiness or humor right now. He felt void of it.

“Yeah, no I knew that… I mean, how did I get here? I was in the forest last I remembered. Did you … find me?”

“I did, yes. I’m Lexie by the way. I guess you could say you’re forever indebted to me now.” She laughed, but when Tyler didn’t make much of a response back, her smile faded fast. “Definitely not the right crowd for jokes, Lexie.” Tyler shifted his position, studying the small cabin again. One of the walls was covered in drawings and paintings, as well as some photographs of the girl with some other people. Tyler couldn’t recognize any of them and it made him wonder how many people had really been in town this entire time. The fire in the corner was dying down and Lexie rose to poke at it.

“I found you unconscious out there. Lucky for you, I was on my way over here and found you. If I didn’t get that wound patched up in time you were going to be a goner for sure. Or the wolves would’ve gotten you…” Tyler flinched at the thought, thankful that he had managed to avoid getting himself caught up in a mess with those creatures. It made him curious as to how the others were fairing out there in the forest and if they had any run-ins so far.

Tyler took a final sip of the mixture before putting the thermos aside. He couldn’t bear the taste or thick texture of it any longer. However, he had to admit that he had more energy than he’s had in awhile. “Do you live out here?” he asked. He found it strange to find such a cozy little home in the middle of nowhere. He also realized there was no bed, kitchen, bathroom – it wasn’t much of a home now that he thought of it. Lexie stayed quiet for awhile, poking at the fire and watching the flames jump up in a dance.

“No, I don’t. My friends and I built this little place as a sort of hang out. A way to get away from things without being eaten alive by the forest. I was coming out here for some fresh air and then… well, then I found you.” Her tone was low and it was a bit difficult to hear her at times. Tyler assumed she didn’t want his ears to hear any of her business, anyway.

“Yeah, I get it. I’ve been looking for fresh air since the day I got here. We all need it after that mess of a fight, I’m sure.” Tyler peeled back the bandage and frowned at the wound. It was stitched up haphazardly, but it wasn’t bleeding and he wasn’t dead, so there was nothing to be bothered with. A scar would most likely form in the next few weeks. He feared for that reminder.

“Hey! Do you want me to pull those stitches out? Because you can go right back to that disgusting, blood-filled hole you had before,” she scoffed, replacing the bandage immediately. Tyler regretted his decision, but there was nothing he could do about it now. His curiosity was all he had left to keep his mind off of the difficult things.

Lexie sat back down in her original position, pulling a canteen of water out of her bag. “Nah, I wasn’t in that rebellion stuff. I heard about it, though. I think her name was Alice–”

“Alice Flint?” Tyler asked. His ears perked up at the sound of the girl’s name. He desperately needed to know how everyone was doing.

“Yeah, I think that was it,” Lexie said, taking a swig of water. “She showed up a few days ago and told a bunch of us about what happened.”

“Was she okay?” he asked, urgently.

“She’s fine. A few scrapes and bruises, but nothing to worry about. If anything, she was really shaken up, so a mental intervention would probably do her some good.”

“She showed up here? Where is she?” Lexie shook her head.

“No… I’m from Peter’s town. She showed up there before I left to come here–”

“Peter’s town? There’s another town? Who’s… Peter?” Tyler didn’t know whether to be surprised or annoyed at Lexie’s words. If anything, his frustration was growing with her leaving out important details he should’ve been told minutes ago.

Lexie looked taken aback by his sudden urgency. She took another drink from her canteen, avoiding eye contact with Tyler. “See, there’s your town. Or… well, I guess whatever’s left of it from what I’ve heard. Then there’s our town… Peter runs it. Kind of like how Ben and Eric thought they were doing such a great job of controlling everything over there, except Peter is actually a decent guy. I have to hand it to you guys for actually doing something about it, my friends and I were going to once and–”

Tyler asked her stop and she immediately kept her mouth shut. His mind was racing again, Lexie’s words repeating over and over again in his head. The thought of their being another town made him relieved, almost happy that there was another place to find solace in. He also hoped that all of the others had already made it there, especially if Alice was already found. But Tyler was also growing with anger. How long was this going to be kept from them?

“So…. you knew we were out there and.. you didn’t do anything about it? None of you?”

There was a shift in the air and Tyler knew his question wasn’t the best one to ask. Raising her brow, Lexie searched for the right words to respond with. “I’m sorry? I just saved your life and you’re going to try to tell me that the rest of us should’ve come to your rescue? Newsflash, buddy. We live in Peter’s town for a reason. You guys are so beyond the forest, it takes days to even get to you. We don’t have any desire to be over there, not when some of us already have and absolutely hated it. What are we supposed to do? Sneak you through the forest as refugees? Ben and Eric would come after all of us and before you know it, Peter will be at war with them, too. That’s even if we’d manage to make it past the wolves out here. You know, I don’t need to explain myself to you…” Lexie pushed herself up off the ground, grabbing the can from earlier and heading out the front door.

Tyler released a sigh, banging his head against the wall. He hated this. His life was a constant feeling of being out-of-the-loop with every single thing that happened. He hated being alone, separated from everyone he found comfort in.  He hated not knowing who was alive and who wasn’t. He hated not knowing about Emily.

Mustering up all of his strength, Tyler forced himself to stand. Every muscle in his body burned from the movement and he grabbed onto the table beside him for stability. Practically flinging himself toward the door, he stepped out into the cold, keeping himself propped up on the doorframe. Lexie was rolling the can around in her hands, listening to it’s contents slosh around. There were no birds in site and Tyler was a little relieved to not have to listen to the obnoxious rattling again. He didn’t think his head could take it. Clearing his throat, he knew Lexie was aware of his presence, but she was choosing to ignore it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean what I said. I guess… I just– I’ve been lied to a lot since I’ve been here. It kind of sucks to not know the whole story all the time and I’ve been waiting for the answers to finally come to me and… they don’t. It’s a relief to hear that there’s another town, it really is. If I were you, I’d be living in paradise, too, if it meant not having to risk my life out there for an entire town. I get it.”

There was silence between them, Lexie’s eyes now focused out beyond the trees as Tyler gripped tightly onto the door.

“I’d really appreciate it if you could help me one last time by bringing me back to your town. I’ll… forever be indebted to you if that’s what you really want.” Lexie laughed at his words and Tyler felt relieved. He couldn’t imagine being abandoned out here, forced to find a town he didn’t even knew existed until a few minutes ago on his own. “Is that a yes?”

Lexie walk toward him, gripping his arm. “It’s a yes. But the entire way back I’m going to be thinking of ways you can repay me,” she said, smiling. She disappeared into the cabin to retrieve her items before they set out on their journey.

It was dark out by the time Tyler and Lexie managed to make it back into the new town. Lexie had made a makeshift cane for him out of a branch and it was the only thing keeping him upright, however it made their trek a lot slower than he would’ve liked. The town seemed so different from what they were all used to, at least from what he could make out in the dark. Lights were glowing in the many houses scattered before him. The cobblestone streets were illuminated with street lamps, some of which had flyers on them for festivals or celebrations. There was a pub that was blaring with music, laughter emanating from the people that stumbled out onto the curb. Lexie waved at a few, guiding Tyler along through the town. They reached what he assumed was the center, a large fountain before them. It was then that he recognized Alice, and before he could call out to her, she was already latched around him in an embrace.

“Tyler, I can’t believe it’s you. Thank god you’re okay,” she said, pulling back to study the cane. “What happened to you? How did you get out? Are you hurt?” Her words were coming at him a while a minute and he didn’t know which to respond to first.

“I’m okay, Alice. It’s good to see you’re okay, too.”

“Isn’t this place incredible? If this is what we showed up to, I’d be a way happier person, I think.” Alice was still her bubbly self as she spoke, but Tyler could see there was a strange look in her eyes. He wondered what she had seen.

“Is Emily here?” He asked, feeling bad for disregarding all of her other comments, but he needed to know. Alice shifted her weight, wrapping her arms around her self as a breeze swept through.

“I-I haven’t seen her… not yet. A few other are here if you want to see them, they’re getting all settled in. I don’t know where she is, Tyler. But I’m sure she’s okay.”

Tyler felt an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong, it had to be. He didn’t know how many days he could sit around and wait, hoping the others would stumble across the town, or run into someone from it. For all he knew, Emily, Landon, Olivia – they were all out there going in circles.

Lexie gave Tyler a nudge, motioning toward the buildings up ahead. “Let’s get you settled. You can see the others.”

[emily-fairfield]

Tyler | Nowhere to Be Found

This is like so far ahead on the timeline, but oh well. To Kimmy and Serena :)

His legs were about to give out any moment. It had been almost two days since Tyler had woken up on the grounds and those scenes were still replaying in the back of his mind. The screams of nearby residents, the sight of dark smoke lingering in a cloud above him, the foul stench of rotting flesh that he still couldn’t forget – it was all engulfing him. He could remember tearing his body away from the ground, his muscles weak and feeling like weights against his bones as he came to. There was no recollection of the past few events, at least not right away. But it wasn’t long before he could remember the guard that was charging toward him, the sound of Olivia’s screams up ahead, and the unbearable feeling of metal meeting his flesh. He jerked with panic, pulling away at the bottom of his shirt to reveal the small stab wound in his side. Dried blood was caked around the edges, some of the red liquid still spilling it’s way through. He needed to pack it with something, anything, but resources were nonexistent now, and no one was around to help him, not when their minds were consumed with their own injuries, with the thoughts of their loved ones. They couldn’t help if they were already dead.

Tyler was well into the forest now, those moments from 48 hours ago feeling weeks away during his long journey through Purgatory’s once forbidden grounds. He never thought to find himself trekking through the trees, walking amongst the homes of the wolves. He was lucky to avoid any run-ins with the beasts up until this point, but Tyler wasn’t willing to fully confide in that stroke of luck just yet. His stomach was rumbling with hunger, his lips dry with thirst. There was a grainy feeling in the back of his throat and every so often he would vomit up bile, the retching motion causing the wound in his side to pulsate in pain. With enough pressure, the bleeding had stopped during the previous day, but every so often it would bleed again and Tyler would have to stop and rest. This journey was taking longer than he wanted it to, but then again he had no idea where it was supposed to reach its end. There was no goal destination, no ideal place he needed to be right now. He was wandering the forest aimlessly in hopes of survival. Before he had abandoned the old town, he came across a weeping man near the body of woman. Her skin was charred, her face barely recognizable, but the man knew of her identity. Tyler had stopped to ask him what was happening and if he had any clue as to where everyone had gone. They couldn’t all be dead, could they? The man, distraught and barely making eye contact, mentioned something about groups of people heading toward the forest and that was the last he had seen of most of the residents. He chose to stay behind to properly bury his girlfriend, if only he could bring himself to do so. There was a person here or there scattered about the town, but they too seemed to be gathering themselves to travel to safer territory. The man mentioned seeing a dark haired girl not too long ago dragging a body across the grounds, tears staining her cheeks. Tyler immediately thought of Olivia and Will based on the man’s descriptions, but forced the thought out of his mind before he could bother letting himself believe it.

The sun was setting now. This was the second time since Tyler had been out on his own and it meant yet another day had come to an end and he was that much closer to death. His body was trembling now, that sharp pain shooting back to his side as he leaned on a nearby tree. His body collapsed to the ground then, a groan escaping his lips as he struggled to get back up. It was of no use. His body was going to fail him and this was how he was going to go. He had spent so long in Purgatory trying to regain his memories and piece together some form of a redeemable afterlife. All of those days where he struggled to remember his past, or the days where his dear friends would try to create new memories for him, would all cease to exist, just as he would. Tyler was about to lose everything all because he was dumb enough to be out on his own, to separate himself from the group. Maybe he deserved it.

His mind flashed to Emily then and his heart began to race. He didn’t like thinking about her, but Tyler couldn’t help himself, not when part of his pain rested on the fact that he didn’t know whether or not she was still alive. He hoped and prayed for the past 24 hours that she was out there surrounded by friends who were working together to survive. If she were on her own, Tyler hoped someone had already come to her rescue. But the times where he let his mind wander to the thought of the charred woman’s body he saw earlier, and whether or not Emily was in the same condition buried under the rubble somewhere, he wanted to claw away at his stab wound for the unrelenting pain would be the only thing to keep his mind off of that gruesome thought. It was becoming harder for him to remember the last time he had seen her. The only image that came to mind was a conversation they had a few days ago. Emily was explaining the rebellion groups plan and what they hoped the outcome would be. She seemed optimistic then, determined to see their plan through. They said a quick goodbye to each other, each with a slight nod of the head, before going their separate ways. Tyler desperately didn’t want those to be their last words because they were far from what a goodbye should be. He had so much to tell her and thank her for. He needed her to hear it.

The nighttime proved to be more brutal with the lack of visibility and the fear of the wolves coming out of hiding. Tyler managed to nest himself on a low branch the previous night and got himself a solid three hours of sleep before continuing to embark on his journey. There wasn’t time for rest, even though he desperately needed it. His racing thoughts wouldn’t let him, anyway. His body felt as if it were on fire as the pain began to worsen. There was no way he was going to climb a tree for shelter, let alone get back on his feet for long. Tyler tried pushing himself up off the ground again, making it a few steps before falling face first. Silence was crucial, but his shouts from the pain upon impact were difficult to avoid. There he was on his hands and knees, his body ready to give up, but his mind still fighting. What was the point of it all if he was going to die anyway? There was so much he still needed to remember, so much that he needed to do. This couldn’t be it.

The sound of footsteps sounded up ahead, the crunching of leaves catching Tyler’s attention as he struggled to make out the figure before him. The dark outline of a woman was slowing approaching him, a flashlight in hand.

“Tyler?” It was her. Warmth flooded through his body as tears threatened to make their way to the surface.

“Emily” he said, breathlessly. His face was cupped between her hands now and he couldn’t tear himself away from her gentle touch. It was almost healing. He missed it dearly. “You’re okay, you’re fine,” he said, examining her closely for any signs of injury. The pain from his wound began to start up again, blood spilling from his flesh as he kept his focus on Emily’s face. He was relieved.

“I’m going to help you, don’t worry,” she said, giving his body a shake to prevent him from dozing off. Tyler’s thoughts were racing through all the different images of them together, all the things he saw earlier, and all of the things he wished for in the near future. He needed to thank her for everything, tell her he couldn’t have gotten this far without her. If the blonde girl hadn’t thrown him into a hug the first day they met, Tyler would’ve never doubted his existence. He would’ve never known the truth. But before he could get the words out, he looked up and she was gone.

The silence in the forest was deafening now and everything fell flat. There was no wind, no rustling of the leaves, no Emily. Tyler stared off into the darkness before him and it was all beginning to look like a blur. His heart was pounding, the blood draining from his face as he frantically looked around for his friend. He began to shout her name, not caring for how loud he was. He needed her back. He needed her to keep him going. Tyler kept shouting until his voice began to fail him, and everything went black.

[emily-fairfield]

We’re having a meeting soon, you guys should come

[lbeatrizgreene-deactivated20200]

I don’t….I don’t know if that’d be the best idea. How are you going to hold one in the middle of all this ruckus? 

[emily-fairfield]

There’s no other time I could see it happen. Maybe The meeting will lead to figuring out how to calm all of this down.

[emily-fairfield]

We’re having a meeting soon, you guys should come

[oh-livs-peerce]

Everything is a mess

[oh-livs-peerce]

Well whenever I try to clean things up people just look at me like I’m insane and continue destroying things. You know they tore apart the snowglobe shop down the street? Snowglobes, Emily. I loved those.

[emily-fairfield]

I’m sorry, Olivia. Maybe some things can be salvaged. When the antique store was destroyed, I was still able to keep a lot of the stuff.

[zoey-burns]

It was this make up place. It made me look less…you know, dead.

[emily-fairfield]

Well, sounds like a terrible loss. You’re lucky if that’s the most bothersome thing in your life right now.

[elijah-weston-blog]

Is there something I can help you with? Better make it good.

[emily-fairfield]

Oh... sorry, no. I thought you were someone else.

[landon--decker]

I could have been a cleaner before. Apparently I have the skill for it, after this past week.

[emily-fairfield]

I think in a past life we all were. Maybe this just ends and we start over in Purgatory again to enhance our skill.

[lbeatrizgreene-deactivated20200]

If I came face to face with a murderer? No. No, I wouldn’t know. There has to be more people here, though…people who’ve killed. 

[emily-fairfield]

You’re definitely right. I wonder how many residents were killers and decided to turn over a new leaf. Or how many guards were killers and are using that to their advantage. All of it is like one big secret. I mean, I could be a killer for all you know.

I mean.. I’m not, don’t worry.

[zoey-burns]

You all managed to screw up my favorite store.

I liked their lipstick.

[emily-fairfield]

And what store was that?

[oh-livs-peerce]

Everything is a mess

I think I’m just going to clean up this broken glass.

[emily-fairfield]

It’s going to take forever to put all of this back together, more people should honestly pitch in. I already had to clear out some things from in front of my house.

[lbeatrizgreene-deactivated20200]

Yeah, I’m sure no one knows. Though there doesn’t seem to be m–many places to run and hide here.

[emily-fairfield]

That is true, someone’s bound to catch you if you hide. It’s still an unnerving thought. I wouldn’t know what to do if I came across him myself, would you?

[daniellespektor-blog]

Honestly, I don’t know. I wish I could provide you with the truth, but…I can’t, no one can other than the murderer himself. For all we know he could be watching us right now. God, but he’s out there and he’s armed, 

[emily-fairfield]

How far could he have really gotten? I mean, you either run toward the guards or you run toward the wolves in the forest. Neither seem like good options.

[emily-fairfield]

Recruitment | Emily & Anna

The riots were getting out of hand. Emily hadn’t bothered checking the antique shop for a few hours. The last time it had been ransacked by Meredith, she was devastated over the scene. But after that incident, there weren’t nearly as many items that were salvageable and she spent a good few weeks finally getting things back in order and reorganizing. Now, she was keeping herself away from the little shop, mostly out of fear that she would stumble across the same exact scene and that would devastate her. Residents were running amuck and destroying whatever was in sight for the pure joy of it, as if smashing in the windows of the library or knocking over a gravestone would cause Ben and Eric to surrender and fall victim to their own sadistic game. It wasn’t helping, none of it was. They were ruining the place they were supposed to call home and as awful as it had been to them, making it worse and even more difficult to live in wasn't going to change things. They would probably be forced to clean it all up, anyway.

The only thing that had been occupying Emily’s mind for awhile had been her protest group. The current happenings in Purgatory -- the screaming and chanting and endless violent protesting -- those were the reasons why she created the protest group in the first place, to avoid all of that. They were meant to be peaceful and do things with words and actions, not weapons and a few thrown punches. Emily was itching to talk to the members of the group, to meet up with them and find a course of action that would hopefully calm things down and get the ball rolling with some of their ideas. More importantly, Emily was growing worried about the lack of members. Perhaps it was what Julia had poisoned their minds with after her brother had been tortured, or maybe their lack of meetings had kept people away. Truth was, she didn’t know just how many of them were still in. Their group was growing in numbers and it had been pretty large last time she had checked. She just hoped they would all still be there upon her return.

She had been walking along the fence for awhile now, residents spatting cruel language out of their mouths through the links in the fence at guards or other residents. Emily didn’t know what the fight was about sometimes, not when she found residents also fighting other residents. What was the point of that? She kept an eye out for any of her members, hoping to notify them about their next meeting and to spread the word, or to at least see if they were in on the riots. Emily noticed someone up ahead through the fence and called out to the woman. “Hey, we’re having another meeting soon. You know where to go. We may even be expanding out to the forest soon,” she said excitedly, almost shouting over the loud voices around her. But when the woman turned around, Emily noticed she wasn’t who she thought she was. Was she even in the group? “S-Sorry... wrong person...” Emily’s stomach lurched. She didn’t know if the woman was just a resident, or a guard off-duty and out of uniform. Right now, she was hoping to avoid the latter. 

[lbeatrizgreene-deactivated20200]

D–Do you believe so?

[emily-fairfield]

Well... I hope not. Hopefully he isn’t looking for anymore targets now that everyone knows about him. I just hope they get him, who knows where he could be now.

[daniellespektor-blog]

I’ve been thinking about that ever since the first murder. It just make my skin crawl knowing that he could murder any of us, or even all of us, at any given moment.

[emily-fairfield]

Do you think he will? Do you think he’ll strike again now that they’re all looking of him?